Still there: San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV, Wyoming, Colorado State

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said Utah State and San Jose State would be considered as potential new members for his league if Boise State or Air Force leave for the Big East Conference.

"If we were to find out that people are leaving, I’d make my recommendation to the board," Thompson said Wednesday by phone. "I have a recommendation for the board that includes several contingencies. I have not sent it but am prepared to send it if necessary."

He wouldn’t say what his recommendation would be exactly, but said geography and rivalries would factor into any plans to replace departed members. The league's board of directors would make the final decision. Asked about San Jose State and Utah State specifically, Thompson said,

"Those are two institutions that would definitely be on the radar screen."

In the meantime, Thompson is still pushing a plan to stop the conference realignment madness by combining his league with Conference USA and the Big East to form a giant football conference of 27-plus members.

He was scheduled to meet with Big East officials about such a proposal in New York on Oct. 26. But on the night of Oct. 25, the Big East canceled the meeting, Thompson said. He later found out that Big East officials went to Colorado Springs to court Air Force on Oct. 26 instead. They went to Boise on Oct. 27.

That chain of events pretty much summed up the realignment craze:

Just when you think somebody might listen to your proposal, you find out they’ve left for somebody else in your own family.

“What we’re doing is cannibalizing each other,” said Thompson, who also met with TV partners on his trip to New York. “I wish we could convince all parties to call a timeout, go to you respective corners and take a deep breath. Then let’s all come back, sit down at a table and see how this might work.”

He said the Big East previously had expressed some interest in his three-league merger, but that it’s obviously not a priority right now. Instead, the Big East is betting it can thrive on its own by adding some new members and becoming a league of 10 to 12 members in football.

The Big East is down to five future football members after West Virginia (Big 12), Texas Christian (Big 12), Syracuse (Atlantic Coast) and Pitt (ACC) decided to leave for other conferences.

Big East membership targets now are believed to be Boise State, Air Force, Houston, Southern Methodist, Central Florida and Navy.

But even if those schools accepted invitations to the Big East, Thompson said the Big East might not be stable. The Big 12 still might want to poach more of that league’s members, he said.

“I would gather there are several Big East institutions that have wandering eyes,” Thompson said. “They might be thinking, ‘Oh yeah, let’s get these six schools into the Big East. But if I get a call from (Big 12 Commissioner) Chuck Neinas, I’m gone. If I get a call from John Swofford (of the ACC), I’m gone. But for the time being, this will work.’”

“It’s ridiculous,” said Thompson, whose league already has suffered defections by Utah, Brigham Young and TCU (for 2012). “It’s a game that doesn’t really need to be played in my opinion. Maybe I’m the only one that thinks that.”

Thompson said the Big East, Conference USA and his league are seeking three things amid the shifting sands: stability, increased television revenue and assured access to elite lucrative bowl games in the postseason. He said joining forces with the Big East could satisfy all three objectives for all three leagues.

An official with the Big East didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Meanwhile, the Mountain West and Conference USA still plan to merge in football for 2012 or 2013. Thompson said that plan is “full-steam ahead” with a meeting planned for next week with legal counsel, TV partners, media consultants and representatives of both leagues.

Thompson’s other recent proposal for a 16-team postseason football playoff didn’t get much of a response from other leagues, he said.

The postseason format in major college football could be changed after the Bowl Championship Series contracts expire in January 2014. Their expiration is a big reason various schools and leagues are trying to improve their positioning for whatever comes next, whether it’s a reconfigured BCS or playoff.